


black lungs

by PurpleAsters



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Gen, Heavy Angst, M/M, Slow To Update, beware of who you get attached too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22079533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleAsters/pseuds/PurpleAsters
Summary: " in which 13 strangers come together during the apocalypse, but will all 13 make it in the end? "
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Kudos: 20





	1. [ .start. ]

  
_it was a nice day in mid July, not too hot but warm enough for loose clothes and a cool drink._

_no body had been expecting the sudden reports, the outrageous claims only heard out of movies and video games._

_the rush of army soldiers and police flooding the streets to evacuate and barricade the city, a city infected._

_families separated, houses abandoned and lives lost._

_the panic set in after the first attack, the swarm of rabid humans attacking their fellow man like starved animals. the stench of blood and rot set in within an hour._

_a bacteria that ate the brain, killing the functionality and damming the host to slowly decay, flesh being melted away from bone and a hunger that set in that was beyond unsatisfiable. a hunger for their once fellow man._

_it was a nice day in mid July when the apocalypse started._


	2. [.I.]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim Mingyu.

**_Kim Mingyu_** spent a lot of his teenage years playing video games, playing sports and failing tests.

Call him your - very - stereotypical jock all you want, it was what he enjoyed and something that didn't seriously agitate his already hotheaded parents, who of course had begged him to go law school after his graduation.

But come the summer before his Senior year, and Mingyu was no where near a scholarship for some fancy and expensive University. He was much more set on skipping college and just getting a decent paying job.

Of course he wasn't the only one in his position, his friends Hansol and Seokmin were just like him, not planning on college but instead just joining society and making a living without more school. Although, Seokmin could easily accept anyone of the offers thrown at him for a number of fields and Hansol could pass any college enterence exam with flying colors if he took a break from the amount of pot he ingested daily.

But in a way, Mingyu was happy they were both skipping out on after school enrollments, made him feel less dumb for not having the option even if he wanted it.

at least, that's how he originally planned for...

Now he stood silently with Hansol and Seokmin by his side, tiptoeing around the hunched over body sitting in the middle of the main enterence of Hansols old apartment building. the grotesque sound of growling and squelching blood and flesh turning each boys stomach.

the backpacks weighing them down with supplies they had scavenged from the apartments around Hansols forced a harsher slap of reality for the trio.

they were sneaking around a fucking zombie for God's sake, if that didn't scream fucked up enough for you.

Three months ago the outbreak struck the world, only few places left for survivors and even then the strongholds were invaded by late bloomers or sneaky monsters that managed to sneak passed the guards who watched the walls.

Mingyu had seen his parents eating each other, seen his sweet neighbor old Miss Oh with blood and a snarl on her face.

Seokmin had to hit his mother over the head with a chair, tears rolling down his face as he ran to smack dab into Mingyu as the other was running from his neighborhood.

Hansol locked his beloved little sister inside her own bedroom, forced to hear the the grunts and siren screams as her small rabid firsts pounded on the door.

all tragically stuck together and holding tight to each other's hands.

Mingyu held his breath, taking slow steps as not to alert the infected in front of them, only a few paces away. the door was so close, clear pathway if they could just not make a sound.

beads of sweat trailed down his face and neck, the nervousness and panic attempting to eat him alive with each step they took closer to both freedom and death.

behind him Seokmin holds a hand over his mouth, the fear of a whimper or gasp making him suffocate with each breath blown from his nose.   
Hansol was busy pressing a palm into the oldest back, forcing him to keep moving.

small steps. inch by inch. centimeter by centimeter.

Mingyu rests his hand on the cold metal handle of the dirty glass door, turning to his friends and mouthing in silence.

_one..._

_two..._

_three!_

The door hinges scream as Mingyu throws the thing open, the glass shuttering as he bolts around and all but yanks Seokmin out with him. the noise alerted the decaying humanoid, it's bloody head jerking in their direction as a ear bleeding screech falls from ripped away lips and black teeth.

The panic fully set in as Mingyu saw the creature scramble to it's feet, limbs twisting as it moved, and charge at them.

The flash of brown hair and black clothes made Mingyu slam the glass door shut, wincing as those rotten teeth smash against the door, snapping and snarling at them like a shark in a tank.

the shaky breath he releases hurts his lungs, and he barely registers Hansols hands on his shoulders, pulling him away.

he's pulled out of view, only the muffled banging of gnarled hands left as a sign of the horror of their reality.

The trio settle in an alleyway, two or three blocks away from Hansols old apartment and the living corpse. Lungs burning from their sprint and minds clustered.

it takes them a fire minutes to calm down fully, although the paranoia is still strong as Seokmin glances around the empty alley, jerking in the direction of any sound possible.

Hansol is busy looking over what they scavenged, bits of food and water to tide them over for a day and a half at most.

Mingyu is leaning against the brick wall, chewing at his lip as he pounders their options.

Somehow he took charge, his old puppy and childlike demeanor gone after two weeks into the epidemic, replaced with a darker more serious but scared Mingyu that lead his best friends through hell all while dealing with his own burdens.

He needed a plan, but his brain came up short. How the hell were they going to keep surviving?

the only secure checkpoint he knew of for a fact was deep in the city, deep in the core of the hordes.

they didn't even have weapons, minus the kitchen knife that Mingyu had picked up a month ago. How we're they supposed to get to the camp, and then be allowed to enter?

He heard how harsh the soldiers were to the new refugees, the couple that they had ran into three weeks ago had told them just how hard it was for them to even be seen, but still didn't even get taken in. the fear if possible infection damned the last remaining humanity in men it seemed.

say they do make it, what are the chances that they'll be let in and not shot on sight? very low.

Mingyu huffed and ran a hand down his face, frustrated and tired. He wanted to sleep, rest and eat warm food. he knew his friends were tired as well, the slump in Hansols shoulders and the droop to Seokmins eyes said it all.

they couldn't keep on like this, not for much longer.

"G-Guys...do you hear that?"

Seokmin interrupts Mingyus thoughts with a shakey voice, his body turned to the opposite alleyway entrance, body tense and alert.

The tallest sits up straight, hushing his breathing as he listens, curious and nervous and waiting to hear snarls in the distance. but nothing.

"I don't hear anything?" Mutters Hansol, who's now standing straight and tense as well, face blank but eyes darting around.

"I swear to god I just heard voices..."

Mingyu frowns, turning his head towards Seokmin.   
"Seokmin, I'm sure it was nothing-"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_**"Chan, run!"** _


	3. .ii.

  
**Boo** **Seungkwan** grew up in a wonderful household. one with a beautiful and supporting mother and a down to earth father how gave the best hugs a child could ask for.

He loved music, singing was such a passion for him. the melodic tunes of choir voices and catchy pop songs on the radio all enthralled him. He worked hard, sang until his throat hurt and got the recognition he deserved.

his parents of course loved his voice, going to his recitals and enjoying his holiday belting that brought smiles to their families faces.

If there was one thing he regretted, it was not making many friends. he only had a few, most his fellow choir mates and while most of the school liked and knew him they weren't his friends.

Chan and Jisoo were the closest people he could willingly call his friends.

both were much like himself, well off and talented in their respective fields, as well as being childhood neighbors and friends.

Chan happened to be one of the best dancers in their school, while Jisoo had such a determination for the medical field and a destination for med school now that he was graduated.

sure maybe they got hit with the lucky stick at birth, having such nice homes and lives, but they never grew snobby or ungrateful. they parents taught them better.

Sure Seungkwan was a bit sassy, Jisoo tended to rant about "upper class" problems, and Chan should probably respect his elders a little more. But they were good kids.

but being so shut in also hindered the boys of the news around them.

they could never even imagine a future without their parents and friends, couldn't picture the possibly of death and the smell of rot.

They were not ready for the outbreak.   
  


Seungkwans body hurt all over, his legs burning with each step, his arms and shoulders protesting his movements, his stomach screaming for food.

clothes dirty and blood stained, sticking to his skin with sweat as the three boys bolted around the buildings and cars. the disgusting snarls behind him made tears blur his vision.

Chan and Jisoo were next to him, dodging trash and obstacles as they weaved about, both panicking as hard as Seungkwan himself.

"cut into that alleyway up ahead! we'll ditch them!" Chan yelled, voice shaking as he ran.

both of his friends nodded, even though they knew he couldn't see it.

Seungkwan could hear the screeches behind them getting louder, closing in on them as the boys slowly lost their momentum. He cursed to himself, thinking.

It was never meant to be like this, they had plans and futures. Chan was gonna be a dancer, Jisoo was meant to save lives, Seungkwan wanted people to hear his voice.

But life is fucked up, and not everyone makes it out at the end.

The alleyway was approaching quickly, and Seungkwan knew what had to happen. He felt more tears drip down his flushed cheeks, he wished he would be able to say good bye properly.

"Chan! Jisoo! Hit the alley and don't stop, no matter what!"

Chan yelled back behind him, slightly slowing down in concern.   
"What do you mean no matter what?!"

Seungkwan didn't say anything back to his youngest friend, his vision blurring worse as he weakly called out to Jisoo , who was closest to him.   
"Jisoo, get Chan out of here. Do not stop running!"

"W-Wait, Seungkwan we can make it!" his friend wailed, but it made no difference.

"Do it!"

Jisoo sobbed, picking up his pace and yelling at his the youngest.

**"Chan, run!"**   
  
  
  


and with that, Seungkwan stopped running. The body that barrled into his back sent him crashing to the ground, forehead smacking onto the hard asphalt with a sickening crack.

his vision flashed white.

the screeching snarls we're right next to his ear, the stench of rotting flesh and blood making him want to gag.

Black teeth tore into his soft bruised flesh, ripping shrill screams from his throat that rivalled the creature on top of him.

over the growling in his ears and the pain in his body, he could hear Chan's screaming.

other voices and jisoo's crying that began to fade away.

everything faded, slowly the ringing in his ears took over.

he stopped fighting, embraced his end.

Boo Seungkwan was not meant for the apocalypse.


	4. [.iii.]

  
**Chwe** **Hansol** felt like vomiting.

The heavy silence that blanketed the group of five was suffocating, coating their lungs and throats with a slim that hurt their chests with each breath.

the stress of running and the ringing in their ears from the screams finally crashed down on them all.

his body hurt, muscles he didn't realize he had ached, his head was pounding, his throat sore.

Their little - growing - group all sat around, slumped against the walls of a small corner store they had been forced to duck into.

the two new comers, Jisoo and Chan, sat together. Both red eyed and whimpering.

He can't get the image of that poor boy being taken down, can't unsee his tears and fear or those...THINGS...tearing him apart like rabid dogs. but that's what they were huh, rabid humans?

god how he wanted to puke...

Mingyu stood to the side, eyes watching the area around them like a hawk, having taken the leader roll with an odd grace compared to how he normally handled things. but Hansol isn't complaining.

Mingyu seemed to be the strongest out of them all, definitely stronger than himself.

Hansol glances at Seokmin, the older is simply staring at his shoes, chewing on his lip and blank to the world around them.

He hated this.

Hated the building they'd ducked into.  
Hated the smell of sweat and dirt that clung to them all.  
Hated the humid summer heat.   
Hated the sound of distant growls.  
Hated the world that had developed.

He wanted to sleep, relax and go back to weeks before everything went to heck in a hand basket.   
  
  
  


"We'll rest here for the night..."  
Mingyu mumbles to the silent group, his eyes shifting towards their newest additions.

They're both exhausted, the events of today plus who knows how long of struggling to survive hitting them like trucks. Jisoo has his arms around Chan, like a mother cradling her child during a thunderstorm. He sees the saddess and the shudder of their shoulders.

Seokmin shifts to lay down, curling into a ball and hugging himself. Chan and Jisoo follow, Chan cuddling into Jisoos hold and trembling as he attempt to relax.

Hansol gets up to stand near Mingyu, stopping right beside his friend and sighing. He mumbles in a soft whisper, attempting to speak covertly.

"We need a plan Gyu..."

The older sighs, shoulders slumping as he raises a hand to scratch his jaw.  
"Yeah, I know."   
  
  



	5. [.iv.]

  
_**Xu**_ _ **Minghao**_ panted, lungs heavy and filled with exhaustion, as he ran down the dark alleyway.

it was well passed midnight he guessed, silent besides himself and the very occasional scream or shriek in the distance.

he rounded the corner, his backpack almost throwing him off balance as his shoes smacked against the pavement like thunder.

one goal, find shelter.

He really shouldn't have left his group, the tiny group that only consisted of two soldiers and three civilian volunteers, himself included in the latter category. But the Refugee camp needed supplies, they were packed fully of struggling survivors, and needed to find people people.

He didn't know why he volunteered, he'd never shot a gun even though Junhui all but begged Minghao to let him teach him how, he wasn't the fittest guy around, and he genuinely hated being around the infected.

So here he was, aftering getting basically ambushed by a horde of those creatures four blocks back, trying his best to breathe as he desperately looked for so place to stay for the night.

It was late enough for the sun to have dropped behind the tall buildings of Seoul, his already disoriented Ming struggled to make shapes and he very quickly lost his way.

The streets were confusing enough during the day, but now at night?   
His panic was truly setting is as the distant screeches of the dead echoed around the alleyways.

Eventually he stopped, his legs burned, his chest and lungs hurt, and his head was pounding. The adrenaline rush starting to wear off already as reality set in.

He was going to die tonight wasn't he?

Minghao hated that the brief thought of killing himself first crossed his mind, but damn he did not want to become zombie chow.

He was too young for this, he had too many plans, and most importantly he had people waiting for him back at the camp. He didn't want to die.

But before he could realize it he felt a lump in his throat and wetness of his cheeks. He brought a dirt covered hand to brush against his cheek in confusion.

_Really? Crying in the apocalypse? Real pathetic_ _Xu_ _. God, if only_ _Jeonghan_ _was here to smack me on the head..._

He sighed, letting his hand fall. Minghao looked around, he couldn't make anything out, the dark shapes had finally fully blended together to make giant blobs of colors.

The boy bit down on his tongue, thoughts racing again as he attempted to make a plan.

He needed shelter for the next few hours, that was the whole goal for the moment.

If he could just wait out the night Minghao could find a nap or high building to look for landmarks.

He wishes he'd taken more time to learn the streets of Seoul, but his family had only been in Korea for half a year now and he'd never ventured very far from their house and school.

Now he really regrets being so introverted and bitchy with everyone, at least if he'd had some friends he would have known his way around more. No, he takes that back, he probably still wouldn't have gone out much.

There's suddenly a loud screech near him, too close.

The boy flinches and ducks down to crouch beside one of the parked cars around him, his hand smacking to his mouth to help silence his breathing.

He can't see anything, but he can hear huffed and raspy breathing. It's sick, like there's shrapnel in someones lungs that moves around and cuts up the organ. There's a scuffle of shoes on the pavement, dragging at odd intervals.

His heart is hammering, panic filling his body as the creature gets closer and closer.

He speaks over the car, at the dark moving spot that's creeping just on the other side of it.

Minghao ducks back down and feels a few more harsh tears bubble up at the corners of his eyes.   
  


Right as Minghao goes to close his eyes and wait out his death he hears a grunt and a loud thud.

He turns back to peak over the car again, but this time he sees lights.

There's a figure with a flashlight and apparently a baseball bat.

He gulps as he watches the figure mumble to themselves, the flashlight moving around as the owner shines it where ever they're facing. Minghao weighs his options.

He could either completely ignore this person, or ask for help. There were two outcomes for both options, so a 50/50 chance for him to live.

He groaned internally, watching at the figure slowly starts walking away. Finally Minghao makes up his mind.

"PSST!"

The person spins around, their flashlight shining directly at Minghao and blinding him. He quickly raises a hand to block the light from burning his eyes more and flinches.

The owner gasps and brings the light down to the ground as they rather quickly walk over to the blind boy.

Minghao rubs his eyes, blinking away despite not being able to see anything to begin with, and flinches when there's a whisper right in front of him.

"Shit! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to shine it in your eyes! Are you okay?"

Through the whisper Minghao can tell the person is male, tone filled with too much concern for someone walking around at night during an outbreak.

But as the stranger speaks his flashlight glows lightly from where's he's holding it towards the skin, leaving just enough light around it to be able to make out his face. Sharp eyes are wide, covered by thin wire glasses with a large crack in the left lense, there's grim and blood on his face too.

Minghao blinks again, vision fully focusing again as he replies.   
"uh, yeah I'm okay?"

The stranger sighs in relief.   
"Thank God! What are you doing out here by yourself? "

The other frowns  
"You're by yourself too?"

A laugh  
"I guess you're right...sorry, I'm Wonwoo!"

"Minghao..."


End file.
